Distance
by AlyssaLucyAnne
Summary: Castle gets kidnapped, while on a booktour. Set a little in the future but you decide how far.
1. Prolog

„So how was your day?"

"Boring… No new case, only paperwork, I was able to finish early but without you here it doesn't matter anyway." Beckett blushed a little at her confession. She wasn't usually someone to miss her partner, when he was only gone for two days, and only for a total of a week. But she had to admit that she missed him. She became used to him hanging around at work and she missed his presence at the precinct as well as at home.

They just moved in together a month ago and she missed having him around.

God she was becoming one of these lovesick girls that couldn't go without their boyfriend for a week, and she hated it. But she couldn't change the fact so she just counted down the days until he would come back.

" Hey, you still with me Beckett?" Castle asked, smiling at her from her skypewindow.

"Yeah sorry I just thought of something, what did you say?"

"I said I miss you too, but on the bright side, only 5 days to go" She smiled a little at him and nodded. "Yeah, we'll make it work." At the same moment there was a knock at Castles door in the background. "That must be Paula, with the new plan for tomorrow. I gotta go, I'll speak to you soon." Beckett nodded at him "I love you" and with that he ended the call. Beckett looked at her laptop for like a minute before she took a deep breath and got up to meet Lanie for drinks. 5 days, she could go 5 more days without him.

**So this is only a short prolog, the actual kidnapping and all will happen in the next chapter, anyway I hope you like it:)**


	2. Chapter 1

They had set a skype time. 7 o'clock, a time, both of them should be able to make.

The next day Beckett sat at her computer at 7:30 wondering where Castle was.

He usually was online first or called if he knew he wouldn't be able to make the time.

She checked her phone again. She hadn't even gotten a text by him today, and he usually texted her like 20 times a day because he wanted her to know EVERYTHING he was doing, whether she wanted to or not.

She already sent him a text earlier because they caught a case but he didn't respond, she wasn't a person to chase after her boyfriend but she decided to call him anyways. If only to yell at him for not cancelling or telling her that he would be late.

After the 15th ring, his voice mail answered.

She frowned slightly, and a sick little feeling started to settle in her stomach.

About 10 minutes later her phone rang, without checking the caller ID she answered.

"Seriously, Castle you could've just told me you wouldn't make it."

"This isn't Richard. But I take it he hasn't contacted you either then."

Beckett recognized that voice. "Paula? What do you mean?"

"Well, I wanted to go through the plan for today with him, yesterday evening but he wasn't there. I figured that he went out or whatever, but he didn't answer his phone or anything. He also didn't show up at the book signing today, so I called some people he knows here in Atlanta but none of them has seen him so I thought maybe he went to see you but apparently he didn't do that either then."

"He said you were at the door, yesterday around 8 when we were online?" Beckett asked confused. This all didn't sound much like Castle. He wouldn't just run off and disappear.

"I didn't show up at his room until 9?" Paula said. "Then who did?"

"I'll go check with security maybe they can answer that, we'll find him."

"Call me when you get anything ok?"

"Yeah I will, bye" And with that Paula ended the call.

Beckett just stared at the phone in front of her. She swallowed hardly. The small sick feeling in her stomach now making her feel like she was about to throw up. She called Castle again, hoping that this all was just some sick joke, she would probably kill him for, but again she only went to voice mail.

Unable to sit still, she then started pacing their living room, waiting for Paula to call her.

**So yes this is the beginning of the actual story, the next chapter is going to be from Castles POV too. I hope you like this fanfic and it would be great if you could let me know what you think about itJ Thank you for the kind responses I got for this already I hope I won't disappoint you!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Becketts POV:**

She paced their living room for what felt like hours until finally the phone she still held in her hand began to ring. She answered it in a second.

"Did you find anything?" Beckett asked immediately. Praying that Paula had some reassuring news for her.

The line kept silent for a little while until Paula spoke:

"Well, uhm we didn't exactly find anything yet. The camera in his corridor had been disabled for the last 2 days because of some technical defect. The weird this is, that none of the hotel employees were able to tell me what kind of defect it actually was and why there wasn't a replacement camera or something like that. I have now contacted the Atlanta Police department, they just sent 2 guys down here. They are currently searching his room for any evidence. I'll call you when I get anything. In the meantime, have you called Alexis or Martha to let them know what's happening?"

Beckett startled. She hadn't even thought of them.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment to gather herself again.

"No, not yet but I will."

"Okay, well like I said if there's any information I'll call you again. Bye"

And again Paula hung up on her.

Beckett took a deep breath trying to comprehend the information she was just given.

The little hope she still had, that it was just all a huge misunderstanding now blown.

Something definitely was wrong.

She took a deep breath again, gathering herself, her NYPD training kicked in and she started thinking logically again.

First she would have to call Alexis and Martha to fill them in. She dialed Alexis number.

Filling Alexis in was one of the hardest tasks Beckett ever had to accomplish. She didn't really know what was going on herself, she just knew that something was wrong and that it looked like a kidnapping but no leads, no suspects no nothing. She couldn't even promise her that she would find him because she wasn't working that case. She was just as helpless as Alexis.

After the phone call Beckett was close to tears. Alexis had promised to fill her grandmother in. So there was nothing left to do.

Beckett moved to their bedroom. Falling on their bed, suddenly exhausted. Her mind was going over all the worst case scenarios, and with all the things she had already seen on her job, there were a lot of things on her mind.

She tried to keep herself from crying, telling herself that she didn't know what happened yet that everything would be okay, and that she would not panic.

Before this inner battle with herself could go too far, her phone rang again.

"Paula, do you have any news?" she asked quickly.

"The forensics found trace evidence of chloroform at his doorframe. So it looks like whoever did this first drugged him with chloroform and then somehow got him out of there while he was unconscious. But with the missing cameras, there is no way to tell how the hell they did that. There are no traces of any kind of container or gurney that they could have used to get him out of there and no one noticed anything suspicious. The cops are currently interrogating everyone, but there are a lot of people and yet there was no one who actually saw something useful."

"I'll fly over to Atlanta, the flight is not too long, I should be there by tomorrow morning."

Beckett said, and to keep Paula from protesting hung up on Paula this time.

She just had to get over there, she doubted that she could really be of any use but she couldn't just sit here, wait for news and do nothing. Castle wouldn't do that if it was her being kidnapped and she needed to do something. If only, to not feel so helpless anymore. So she went over to her computer to search for the next flight.

**Castles POV:**

He woke up because his back hurt. He was sleeping on a stone floor and his mind felt kind of blurry, like it only was when he was really hungover. But he couldn't remember drinking last night. Actually he couldn't remember what he was doing at all last night.

Didn't he talk to Kate? There had been someone at the door, but after that everything was black. What the hell happened to him. And where was he? He looked around but there wasn't really much to see. It was a small sterile room without windows or anything, only a steel door at one side that was most definitely locked.

He remembered what Alexis told him about her kidnapping, how she found out that they must've left New York, so he tried to hear any sounds from the outside. He could hear traffic, and shouting, it all sounded pretty familiar.

That was the sound of New York.

**I hope you liked that chapter and the story and it would be great if you could let me know in reviews what you think:) Thank you again for the amazing response I already got for this, I appreciate all of your reviews, you all are amazing!**


	4. Chapter 3

The plane landed at 7:15 the next morning on the airport of Atlanta.

Beckett wanted to sleep on the plane but with two extremely loud snoring seat neighbours and a mind filled with horrorpictures she found herself unable to get even a little bit of rest. So she just ordered a coffee at the airport and hired a cab that would take her to her boyfriend's hotel.

During the taxi ride she became more and more nervous, she didn't really know what to expect from the hotel suite, she didn't really know what she was doing right now, she just wanted Castle by her side as usual but obviously she couldn't have that. He was supposed to be in that hotel but he wasn't going to be there.

She felt her breath hitch and her eyes water so she bit on her lip hard to keep herself from starting to cry in the backseat of a cab.

When she got out in front of the hotel she didn't waste any time looking at it or trying to prepare herself. She knew that in the end, she wouldn't be prepared for anything.

She asked for Paula at the reception and waited for her to get down there. Paula arrived at the reception in no time. She came together with a man in a grey suit and introduced him as Detective Davis the lead Inspector of this case.

"Well Detective, as much as I appreciate your concern for your partner, I don't really see anything that you could do here, my team and I have everything under complete control, you can of course see the crime scene but I can't let you investigate anything, it's against protocol I'm very sorry" Beckett had a feeling he wasn't sorry at all.

"It's fine" She said, her jaw clenched.

"What have you done so far?"

They went towards the elevators to go and check out Castles room.

"Forensics went over the scene but besides the Chloroform on the door frame there was nothing else left to find. My team is currently getting statements from everybody on that floor, as well as from all the staff. We'll see what we're going to do after that."

"Well did you think about how those people got him out of here? I mean they must have used some kind of a gurney and someone must have seen something right?"

"Yes…" The Detective said slowly. "That's among other things what we ask the people."

"Sorry" Beckett mumbled, she knew that she sort of insulted the detective with her statement but she just wasn't used to not being in charge of everything.

They reached the suite and Paula held back Detective Davis.

"Why don't we let Beckett see for herself and talk to the team if they got news."

Beckett looked at her thankfully, she really rather wanted to be alone right now. Detective Davis agreed and both of them left for a room at the end of the floor, which Beckett guessed was the temporary interrogation room.

She entered the suite, the crime scene tape had already been removed so Forensics really was already done with this.

It was just a usual suit. Huge and probably really expensive but just a normal suit. There weren't any kind of struggle or something, she knew that they drugged him the moment he opened the door so there couldn't have been a struggle but she still expected something. She couldn't believe that her boyfriend had been kidnapped in this room and it looked just nice and clean and all. She really wanted to throw that stupid chair in the living room through the window or something but she knew she couldn't do that.

So she went over to his bedroom, it looked like he had just been in it. His jacket on his bed, his suitcase in front of it and his laptop still opened on the desk next to the door.

She saw something on the nightstand and went over there to see what it was.

It was a picture of them. Lanie had taken it one night they all had been out in the Old Haunt. Castle had his arm around her and she was snuggled into his side, both of them were laughing but instead of looking into the camera like they were supposed to, they were just staring at each other. It had been an amazing night.

She felt the wetness on her cheeks and only then did she realize that she was crying. Her breast tightened and her scar began to ache. She knew the signs. She was having a panic attack. She couldn't breathe anymore. Her breaths coming out ragged. She slid down next to the bed sobbing. She couldn't do this. She needed Castle. She needed him for all of this. He couldn't be gone he needed to be there for her just like she needed to be there for him right now too.

She pressed the picture against her heart, trying to keep it down and to calm her panic. Doctor Burke had shown her a breath training that was supposed to help her. It took her like half an hour until she had herself under control again.

She felt the major need to get out of this room. She just packed the picture in the pocket of her jacket and flew out of the suit and towards the room she figured the interrogation room. She needed to know if there were any news or even if it was against Detective Davis' protocol, if there was anything that she could do to help.

As she entered the room she saw Paula and Detective Davis standing by a group of people and talking with them, she waited until they were gone and then made her way over to them.

"We got a couple from Chicago, which saw a staff member at Castles room around the time of his kidnapping, they didn't really pay attention to what he was doing, but we spoke to the Hotel Chef and he said that the time was unusual, there are staff members and Cleaning crafts, which make their rounds but not at that time, so we checked if Castle called the room service, which he didn't so it's a great chance that that's our guy, we just have to figure out where he went. Some technics are currently going through all the other security cameras but so far we didn't find anything." Paula filled her in quickly.

Beckett nodded. She didn't want to talk to those people with Paula and the Detectives so she asked:

"I know that you don't want me to investigate and I won't but where are those technics, I'd like to watch the surveillance videos with them, I also know what Castle looks like. If it was a staff member he probably put him in one of their food transport cart or something, but at one point he must've taken him outside so…" She looked at the Detective questioningly. He looked a little doubtful but it seemed like she underestimated this guy because he nodded eventually.

Maybe he did understand what it was like to have a partner missing, or Paula told him that she and Castle were a little more than just partners. Whatever the reason was, he gave her the room directions and Beckett left, hoping they would find something.

The technic guys filled her in their work and told her what they already went over. They were just starting with the first parking lot camera.

An hour later, they still hadn't found anything, they were getting to the last parking lot camera and the rest of their film material were real long shots. They all began to lose hope, as one of the guys suddenly exclaimed:

"There is a guy loading his Truck with a container."

They rewound and watched it again. And really someone was putting a like 3 to 2 container, which was probably a freezer or something, in his trunk.

"That's got to be our guy" stated Beckett a little more cheerful.

"Can you pull a license plate? Or can you get a clear shot of his face?"

"Yes, just a second, there is the license plate. The face is a little more tricky, he's with his back to us the whole time but maybe when he drives out of the parking lot, if we get another camera."

The guy worked about 5 minutes in silence, 5 minutes in which Beckett bit down all of her nails out of anticipation. But then he got an image, it was from inside the car and the guy was wearing sunglasses but together with the license plate, maybe they could find him.

Hope rose in Beckett and she felt it was just a little bit more possible to breathe. She had hope that they would find the guy, and she had hope that Castle was still alive.

Detective Davis entered the room and made a call to all stations with the license plate and the photo.

They had to wait now, but at least they had a real chance to wait for.

**So I know it's been a while but I hope you still like the story. I would be really glad if you would let me know, your reviews and your kindness for the last chapters were amazing. Thank you so much you all are fantastic!**


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